PDF/A is an ISO standard that specifies the use of PDF for the long-term preservation of compound documents as electronic data. The key requirement for PDF/A documents is complete self-containment such that all information necessary for consistent long-term display is embedded in the file. PDF/A-1 is currently based on Adobe’s PDF 1.4. PDF/A-2 and PDF/A-3 are based on […]
View PostHighlights from last week’s meetings in Salt Lake City. Determining the future trajectory of a technology – if you’re interested in the technology and in the uses to which that technology is put – can be fascinating. If your business or institution has a significant investment in electronic document technology, then you’ll probably find it useful to […]
View PostFew know it yet, but a new paradigm for document capture begins in 2011. This is the year in which PDF/A and PDF/UA become cornerstone International Standards for electronic documents in the decades and centuries ahead. This is the year in which document capture begins its fourth paradigm – semantics. My old company started life as […]
View PostPDF is one of the most common file-formats on the planet. Why is it so pervasive? Why is it PDF that serves mankind as the undisputed universal electronic equivalent of paper, and not some other technology? A large part of the answer lies in the fact that PDF is extraordinarily sophisticated; clever and robust enough to […]
View PostPlease join Appligent Document Solutions CEO Duff Johnson in Rome for the PDF/A Competence Center’s Fourth International PDF/A Conference on September 29–October 1, 2010 in Rome, Italy. The conference offers lectures by international experts, tracks for different areas of focus and interest in PDF/A as well as workshops on the practical use of PDF/A. PDF/A Competence […]
View PostAs stated in the Introduction to ISO 19005-1, the primary purpose of PDF/A is to provide: “… a mechanism for representing [PDF] electronic documents in a manner that preserves their visual appearance over time, independent of the tools and systems used for creating, storing, or rendering the files.” The text goes on to identify a […]
View PostPDF/A (‘A’ is for ‘archive’), otherwise known as ISO 19005, is the subject of my latest feature article, The Content that Endures: What to know about PDF/A. Opening with the question “What happens in the year 2023, when someone has to open an Outlook PST file from 2003 to settle a lawsuit?” the article draws […]
View PostWhat’s the difference between a document and the software used to view the document? In the paper or microfiche worlds, no software is needed, so the question is meaningless. The only potential barrier to legibility is the physical condition of the document. Electronic documents are different. The physical condition of the document is assumed, otherwise […]
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